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Truck Plows Into Christmas Market In Berlin, 12 People Dead, ISIS Claims Responsibility [Updated]

By Rahul Srinivas
Published on: 07:00 PST, Dec 19, 2016

https://rumble.com/embed/ves1j/

Update 3: The death toll has now increased to 12

Update 2: According to a report by The New York Post, the ISIS or the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Berlin. The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Force tweeted that the terror group was taking credit for the incident.

Update: Berlin police officials have put the number of dead at nine as of this writing. Reports also state that there were two men inside the truck. One person has been arrested by the police while the other man has died. Officials haven’t released the names of the suspects yet.

Original report: A Christmas market in Berlin has become a scene of carnage after a semi truck plowed into people shopping for Christmas. According to Russia Today, the incident happened at a busy market in western Berlin. Scores of people were injured in the incident, with initial reports coming in of at least one death. It will be some time before reports are able to gauge the actual extent of the damage and the true number of casualties. Initial reports say that the truck attack happened in the Breitscheidplatz area of western Berlin.

Below is a live widget that will provide constant updates pertaining to this breaking news story.

At this time, there is no confirmation if this was just a freak accident or a targeted terrorist attack. People are, however, already blaming ISIS for this attack, which, incidentally, is quite similar to another attack that happened in the city of Nice, France, in July.

As of this writing, there are some reports by Berlin police confirming that this is indeed a terrorist attack.

https://twitter.com/ThorstenBr/status/810935403654082560

The Nice attack on the evening of July 15 targeted a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The attack resulted in the deaths of more than 86 people, while 434 people were injured. The attack was carried out by a man later identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian resident of France. He was shot dead by the police in an exchange of gunfire on the day of the incident.

Berlin truck attack
Firefighters walk past ambulances after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. [Image by Michael Sohn/AP Images]

Some photos from the scene of the attack tweeted out by people are embedded below.

https://twitter.com/Pieterjan95/status/810935532515655680

Updates: The truck reportedly had Polish registration plates, a Twitter user said.

There have been several tweets from the official Twitter account of the Berlin police asking people to stay in their homes and to not come to the scene of the attack.

They have also asked people to remain in their homes and to not spread rumors.

The Twitter account has also asked people to stop uploading videos from the scene of the attack in order to respect the privacy of the victims.

Following the Berlin truck attack, Facebook has activated its safety check feature on. People can mark themselves “safe” using the tool.

Prior to the attacks in Berlin, the the US State Department had issued an alert to US citizens back in November warning them of the “heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, especially during the holiday season.” The alert encouraged citizens to stay alert during the holiday season. The alert ends on February 20. According to local news outlets, the location where the attack happened is a very busy place – especially leading up to th days before Christmas. The market has been around for over 33 years and is famous for its handmade crafts.

Several world leaders have condemned the Berlin terror attack – including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump who said;

“Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday. ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.”

[Featured Image by Michael Sohn/AP Images]

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